A new study reveals a GaTe/PdSe₂ van der Waals heterostructure with unique type-II band alignment and reverse rectification. This device achieves remarkably low dark current, high reverse rectification ratio, and exceptional responsivity across an ultra-broad spectrum from ultraviolet to near-infrared (365–940 nm). It also demonstrates high polarization sensitivity, making it a versatile platform for next-generation advanced photodetection and optical communication applications.

The development of renewable energy is a key path for the global energy structure to transform towards low-carbonization and an important technical direction for addressing climate change. However, battery technology, as the core energy storage carrier, is confronted with multiple challenges such as resource constraints, energy density limitations, and high costs. In this context, rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs) have emerged as a highly promising next-generation electrochemical energy storage system due to their advantages such as abundant raw materials, low cost and high safety. In a recent review published, Chinese researchers systematically reviewed the related studies of RABs, pointing out that by leveraging the multi-ion cooperative strategy and multi-electron redox reaction mechanism, the long-term bottlenecks of aluminum batteries in reaction kinetics and capacity retention can be effectively broken through, providing a clear technical path for their large-scale practical application.

Local photothermal effect of AuNRs gives rise to high local temperatures. Two methods based on electron spin resonance (ESR) technique were developed to characterize the local temperature (T_local) around the excited rod. The obtained T_local is 20-30℃ higher than the global temperature (T_global) of the illuminated suspension measured using thermocouple. The local photothermal effects of gold nanorods (AuNRs) can promote the thermal decomposition of H₂O₂ to generate hydroxyl radicals. The AuNRs + H₂O₂ system can be used as a light-triggered hydroxyl radical source to regulate the generation of hydroxyl radical by time and space.

A noncontact virtual reality (VR) human-machine interface (HMI) was developed by electret-based triboelectric sensor (ETS), which is fabricated by the electrospun polylactic acid/thermoplastic polyurethane (PLA/TPU) electret nanofiber film. Integrated with a deep learningbased multilayer perceptron neural network, the ETS realizes the recognition of 18 different types of 3D gestures with a high average accuracy of 97.3%. An intelligent noncontact VR interactive system based on the ETS is further developed to manipulate game characters for performing different actions by 3D gestures. This work for the first time introduces the triboelectric 3D gesture recognition method to the VR HMIs, and could make the interaction between human and virtual environments become more efficient and fascinating.

Directly observing the atomic rearrangement in ferroelectric semiconductor In₂Se₃ paves the way for developing stable and reliable in-memory computing devices.

Electrocatalysts constantly experience structure evolution during CO₂RR, directly affecting activity, selectivity, and long-term durability. In this review, researchers explain how atomic migration, redox transitions, and surface restructuring determine catalytic performance, and highlights advanced in-situ characterization techniques for decoding these dynamic processes. Understanding such reconstruction mechanisms plays a key role in designing robust catalysts for industrial CO₂ conversion.